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Pull Me Under
After accidentally outing himself as the first openly gay soccer player in the British Premier League, Ben has three choices:
1. Deny, deny, deny.
2. Hope that his team and the public will just get over it.
3. Make himself look better by means of a long-term, committed relationship.
The problem? He has yet to really kiss another man.
The solution? His manager knows just the guy.
Enter Henry Brown: music student, openly gay, currently single, and so pretty that the public will just eat him up. He's all too happy to lend Ben a hand.
Between public appearances and the media spotlight, they become friends. But when benefits come into play, the question is: are they ready for the real thing?
Pull Me Under is a cheerful tale of two people finding truth in the middle of a media whirlwind — an emotional rollercoaster of slow ascents, magnificent drops and stomach-turning loops, all while hoping to come out with the sun on your face and a smile in your heart.
1. Deny, deny, deny.
2. Hope that his team and the public will just get over it.
3. Make himself look better by means of a long-term, committed relationship.
The problem? He has yet to really kiss another man.
The solution? His manager knows just the guy.
Enter Henry Brown: music student, openly gay, currently single, and so pretty that the public will just eat him up. He's all too happy to lend Ben a hand.
Between public appearances and the media spotlight, they become friends. But when benefits come into play, the question is: are they ready for the real thing?
Pull Me Under is a cheerful tale of two people finding truth in the middle of a media whirlwind — an emotional rollercoaster of slow ascents, magnificent drops and stomach-turning loops, all while hoping to come out with the sun on your face and a smile in your heart.
Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2014
262 people are currently reading
2401 people want to read
About the author
Zarah Detand
19 books440 followersWriter of M/M romances. Chaos monkey. Coffee snob. Cheese is her love language.
People in love with other people is her jam, with a particular penchant for snappy dialogue and a slow burn that is all the more satisfying once it finally catches fire. Playing with tropes of the famous-meets-non-famous variation? Bring it on! Fake relationships? Yes, please. All's fair as long as everyone gets their happy ending.
People in love with other people is her jam, with a particular penchant for snappy dialogue and a slow burn that is all the more satisfying once it finally catches fire. Playing with tropes of the famous-meets-non-famous variation? Bring it on! Fake relationships? Yes, please. All's fair as long as everyone gets their happy ending.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
March 16, 2014
4.5 Stars
DO NOT LET THAT BLURB DETOUR YOU
DO NOT
This book is soo freaking good. So good.
The premise has been done before. The pretend boyfriend thing. I’ve read a few.
The difference with this book?
Being inside Jimmer’s head. O.M.G
He is freaking classic!!! Classic!
Hysterically so!
Also his name, is super cool, Benedict Jimmer. There is something about Benedict. That name. Kinda makes me wanna swoon.
The beginning of the book I felt like I was getting whiplash. I had to wrap my head around it being in the 1st person AND done so in a way that Jimmer really is talking to himself. His thoughts run rampant and I had to keep catching up to him.
His 1st kiss. his first BJ- nothing gets passed us. I loved this. I loved his “Ohh fuck nothing has ever felt so good!” “Wait OMG that feels even better.” It was such a sexy scene and yet I’m laughing my ass off because he’s such a big funny dummy.
I had a stupid grin on my face for 60% of the book and then Holy CRAP where the hell did the angst come from.
Henry and Ben are 2 characters that are in my heart.
This book reminded me so much of Take My Picture.
Just the miscommunication, the NO communication. Eavesdropping, expectations, the LOVE. The conversations, the sarcasm, the name calling. It was awesome.
This is a debut novel by a debut author.
I can’t wait to read more of the author’s work!
Mare~Slitsread
DO NOT LET THAT BLURB DETOUR YOU
DO NOT
This book is soo freaking good. So good.
The premise has been done before. The pretend boyfriend thing. I’ve read a few.
The difference with this book?
Being inside Jimmer’s head. O.M.G
He is freaking classic!!! Classic!
Hysterically so!
Also his name, is super cool, Benedict Jimmer. There is something about Benedict. That name. Kinda makes me wanna swoon.
The beginning of the book I felt like I was getting whiplash. I had to wrap my head around it being in the 1st person AND done so in a way that Jimmer really is talking to himself. His thoughts run rampant and I had to keep catching up to him.
His 1st kiss. his first BJ- nothing gets passed us. I loved this. I loved his “Ohh fuck nothing has ever felt so good!” “Wait OMG that feels even better.” It was such a sexy scene and yet I’m laughing my ass off because he’s such a big funny dummy.
I had a stupid grin on my face for 60% of the book and then Holy CRAP where the hell did the angst come from.
Henry and Ben are 2 characters that are in my heart.
This book reminded me so much of Take My Picture.
Just the miscommunication, the NO communication. Eavesdropping, expectations, the LOVE. The conversations, the sarcasm, the name calling. It was awesome.
This is a debut novel by a debut author.
I can’t wait to read more of the author’s work!
Mare~Slitsread
April 18, 2016
This book was one of those I asked my mother to read before I did. You know, to test the waters. We make a good team, usually, and when she told me this one was obligatory, I decided to go on.
I’d like to give it more stars, because I REALLY loved it. But I’m sorry to say I was very close to DNF the book. Several times. Not because there are big unforgiving flaws, but because the beginning is sooooo slooooow it got on my nerves. Not boring, just, super slow. Iceberg slow, to be more precise.
But there was something, a promise of a wonderful story, in which I was only able to see the tip. And I’m so glad I didn’t give up! Because this story is REAL. You see PROOF of WHY and HOW they fall in love with each other. Very difficult to write, this one. Too many scenes, too many facts, too many thoughts and misunderstandings and ambiguities, too many "you said that, I interpreted this, I did those" resulting in frustrating-adorable gestures and too much fun!!!
Nonsense and continually stupid misunderstandings can be a deal breaker for me, but here they fit. Let’s see the plot. Ben is a soccer player who is in the closet till one day someone catches him drunk dancing in a gay club. The photos spread in the media and, to mitigate the general shock and the fans’ disapproval, he agrees to play a one-year-old relationship with a "fake boyfriend", Henry.
What he does not expect is to have an instant crush on him. Henry is funny, intelligent and so handsome he can’t help himself from being friends with him. And with time, he falls in love. But he thinks everything Henry does is because of the public displays they have to show and not because of real feelings.
We only have Ben’s POV and sometimes I really could die to know Henry’s thoughts! Because Ben’s perspective is so stuck in thinking Henry could not feel the same he can’t notice that Henry smiles so much more when he is with him, or that his gestures are because of Ben’s words, or that his reactions are due to Ben’s influence. One thing is for sure: Henry is as blind and thick as Ben in this relationship but in any moment I wanted to kill the scripwriter (or maybe I did, but not in a bad way). It didn’t give me chills, it was so entertaining and cute I wanted to hug him. Or Henry. Or both.
Both walk cautiously on quicksands, trying to be careful to not to show their real feelings, but not achieving it. It was so obvious for everyone! Of course, friends realize it all before themselves and, as a good comedy book, they give advice as good minions.
The humor is enviable. I loved the witty banter and the jokes. But not typical punctual jokes, no, but jokes that are built in a relationship and end up being secret jokes in that relationship and no other. That kind of jokes that survive time and are more alive with each passing day, like writing an actual story altogether. The good mood remains the whole novel and it didn’t decline in any second. In fact, the pages are written only to improve. An A+ to the sense of humour.
The MC really fit together and they were so adorable and real I could almost touch them. There is some kind of advantage in writing “slow burning” books and this is a perfect example: we get to know the MC very closely, and they get to know each other, too. Before the first kiss, before the sex. And I always loved that.
I see this is a debut novel, I can’t say this is not getting off to a good start.
dnf-or-on-hold
May 15, 2020 DNF at 16%, so no rating.
March 7, 2014
The premise is cute. A closeted gay football player, Ben, is photographed dancing at a gay club and because he doesn't want the public to think that he is promiscuous, his manager decides that what he needs is fake boyfriend to show everybody that he is in love and in a committed relationship. That's where Henry comes in.
Two things that frustrated me with this book and that is the inability for the MCs to communicate thus causing drama. Reminds me of The House on Hancock Hill. And the other one is the length of the book - It's quite long and I found myself skipping some parts.
Ben is great character and his inner monologues is very funny . The supporting cast is great too. I had a lot of sigh and aww moments here but unfortunately the ending kinda feel flat for me and did not have the emotional impact I was hoping for me.
My main complain really is that it's a long read and if this was shortened I think It would have been more effective. Overall, it is still very well written and I'm looking forward to this debut author's future releases.
This will probably be in my top reads of 2014.
4.25 STARS! :)
Two things that frustrated me with this book and that is the inability for the MCs to communicate thus causing drama. Reminds me of The House on Hancock Hill. And the other one is the length of the book - It's quite long and I found myself skipping some parts.
Ben is great character and his inner monologues is very funny . The supporting cast is great too. I had a lot of sigh and aww moments here but unfortunately the ending kinda feel flat for me and did not have the emotional impact I was hoping for me.
My main complain really is that it's a long read and if this was shortened I think It would have been more effective. Overall, it is still very well written and I'm looking forward to this debut author's future releases.
This will probably be in my top reads of 2014.
4.25 STARS! :)
August 24, 2014
4.5 stars.
This book is long. It has grammatical errors. It's written in first person present tense which I hate. Much of the conflict stems from lack of communication and misunderstandings. And yet I loved it! The characters in this, Ben and Henry were really what made the story for me. I enjoyed the humor and inner dialog of the MC and I loved the author's voice. I see so much potential here.
This book is long. It has grammatical errors. It's written in first person present tense which I hate. Much of the conflict stems from lack of communication and misunderstandings. And yet I loved it! The characters in this, Ben and Henry were really what made the story for me. I enjoyed the humor and inner dialog of the MC and I loved the author's voice. I see so much potential here.
February 23, 2014
AWESOME!!! I had no idea how good this book was gonna be.
With more athletes coming every day this book feels very contemporary. It was also very well written. Both Ben and Henry were absolutely adorable. Not to say I didn't want to bang their heads together a few times but they were still adorable even then. Zarah you did great job with this story I can't wait for more from you, and thank you for an enjoyable reading experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone, low on angst, high on men being dense until they're not.
With more athletes coming every day this book feels very contemporary. It was also very well written. Both Ben and Henry were absolutely adorable. Not to say I didn't want to bang their heads together a few times but they were still adorable even then. Zarah you did great job with this story I can't wait for more from you, and thank you for an enjoyable reading experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone, low on angst, high on men being dense until they're not.
Read
December 14, 2022It took me 2!!! days to get to 17%. I can’t help it, the premise is interesting (it starts with Ben, a football player, being accidentally outed and needing a boyfriend to play the role of a “respectable” gay football player in a committed relationship ). But it’s soooooo slow, every single thing takes a long time and Ben gets carried away by his thoughts in the middle of so many situations, it’s really… well. Boring.
On top of that, I think it’s a fanfic based on Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, and I’m not in a ff mood right now 😜
No rating because I stopped reading at 17%
On top of that, I think it’s a fanfic based on Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, and I’m not in a ff mood right now 😜
No rating because I stopped reading at 17%
September 5, 2017
this book was a really good read. it was slow but i liked Ben's voice he was entertaining... my only complain is the misunderstanding and eavesdropping it was too much and kinda made the story long.
December 6, 2014
This was close to a 5-star read for me, a slow, gradual, and sweet fake-to-real relationship story. Ben Jimmer is a top-ranked British football (soccer to us Yanks) star who is outed by pictures of him dancing at a gay club. It's still ambiguous enough that he could try to deny it, but he decides he's tired of living the lie. He decides to come out at last. When he comes under pressure in the locker room the first day, he finds himself saying what his agent recommended. "Anyway, I have a boyfriend."
In fact, Ben has only ever kissed one guy. Once. But his agent, Aaron, is gay and knows a friend who is both currently single and a fierce and cheerful advocate of coming out, and a football fan. Henry Brown is fun, sweet, even-tempered and pretty unflappable. He refuses to let Ben pay for his help, baulks even at expensive gifts, and is helpful beyond compare. Henry's presence at his side lets Ben make it through the first days of his coming out without self-destructing. But as time goes on, he realizes that he is falling in love with Henry. Which is something he really doesn't want to unload on a guy doing him an amazing favor in the name of LGBT visibility and rights.
Of course, in romance tradition, Henry is falling for him too... The thing that made me take off a star is that this proceeds at a glacial pace. I like slow. I like seeing guys, especially inexperienced guys, move cautiously and second guess themselves. But this story needed a little more than "He can't possibly feel the same way" to keep these guys apart that long. More could have been made of Ben's wealth, perhaps, and Henry being accused of gold-digging, or something else external in the plot to push them apart.
As it stood this book was lovely and sweet and warm. The fan, teammate and public resistance to a gay footballer was muted, and not melodramatic in the least. This was nicely done, but meant that the coming out drama wasn't tough enough to serve as the whole conflict in the story, so there was a point where the Big Misunderstanding began to grate a bit. Still a very nice addition to the "pro athlete coming out" category, and Henry was a great character.
In fact, Ben has only ever kissed one guy. Once. But his agent, Aaron, is gay and knows a friend who is both currently single and a fierce and cheerful advocate of coming out, and a football fan. Henry Brown is fun, sweet, even-tempered and pretty unflappable. He refuses to let Ben pay for his help, baulks even at expensive gifts, and is helpful beyond compare. Henry's presence at his side lets Ben make it through the first days of his coming out without self-destructing. But as time goes on, he realizes that he is falling in love with Henry. Which is something he really doesn't want to unload on a guy doing him an amazing favor in the name of LGBT visibility and rights.
Of course, in romance tradition, Henry is falling for him too... The thing that made me take off a star is that this proceeds at a glacial pace. I like slow. I like seeing guys, especially inexperienced guys, move cautiously and second guess themselves. But this story needed a little more than "He can't possibly feel the same way" to keep these guys apart that long. More could have been made of Ben's wealth, perhaps, and Henry being accused of gold-digging, or something else external in the plot to push them apart.
As it stood this book was lovely and sweet and warm. The fan, teammate and public resistance to a gay footballer was muted, and not melodramatic in the least. This was nicely done, but meant that the coming out drama wasn't tough enough to serve as the whole conflict in the story, so there was a point where the Big Misunderstanding began to grate a bit. Still a very nice addition to the "pro athlete coming out" category, and Henry was a great character.
November 1, 2015
There are spoilers, but not too bad, and I am pretty sure you already know, or at least can guess the ending :)
***
We have Ben, a football star, and Henry, an average college kid, in a fake relationship for the strategic media purposes. For Ben having a fake boyfriends means softening the blow of coming out of the closet. Despite being fake boyfriends, the boys enjoy themselves together. It's all sunshine and rainbows and lollipops and very very sweet and beautiful.
But don't get fooled. The gloom is just around the corner.
It's not unusual for the boys to break up for a day or two. They can't fully enjoy themselves without thinking "it's fake"...
They tend to overthink things, of which both are guilty...
or eavesdrop, mostly Ben...
or assume things, and again, both are guilty, but again mostly Ben.
Jake, Ben's friend, is the only person who can see straight and in the real light...
And so he arranges for the boys to meet each other, in their darkest hour, when all seems to be lost.
While Ben is still too confused, because
and tries to send Henry away...
Henry - finally! - comes out of his funk....
and all but forces himself on Ben.
That's when it dawns on the football star...
The suffers they suffered were all for nothing!!!
♥~♥~♥~♥~♥
Hugs, kisses...
and hot sex follows.
In the end, as they ride into thesunset airport together, flowers and hearts and pretty things rain down on them.
THE END.
Loved the book, but continuous misunderstandings and complete lack of communication knocked a star off for me.
Nevertheless, loved the boys! Will probably re-read in the near future :D
***
We have Ben, a football star, and Henry, an average college kid, in a fake relationship for the strategic media purposes. For Ben having a fake boyfriends means softening the blow of coming out of the closet. Despite being fake boyfriends, the boys enjoy themselves together. It's all sunshine and rainbows and lollipops and very very sweet and beautiful.
But don't get fooled. The gloom is just around the corner.
It's not unusual for the boys to break up for a day or two. They can't fully enjoy themselves without thinking "it's fake"...
They tend to overthink things, of which both are guilty...
or eavesdrop, mostly Ben...
or assume things, and again, both are guilty, but again mostly Ben.
Jake, Ben's friend, is the only person who can see straight and in the real light...
And so he arranges for the boys to meet each other, in their darkest hour, when all seems to be lost.
While Ben is still too confused, because
and tries to send Henry away...
Henry - finally! - comes out of his funk....
and all but forces himself on Ben.
That's when it dawns on the football star...
The suffers they suffered were all for nothing!!!
♥~♥~♥~♥~♥
Hugs, kisses...
and hot sex follows.
In the end, as they ride into the
THE END.
Loved the book, but continuous misunderstandings and complete lack of communication knocked a star off for me.
Nevertheless, loved the boys! Will probably re-read in the near future :D
September 6, 2017
The more books I read, the more nuanced I become in my likes and dislikes.
This was a second re-read and it is still a FANTASTIC book, but my rating of 5 stars was a wee bit high compared to my other 5-star reads.
SO Ben is amazing and an idiot, but mostly amazing. Henry was... Not always likeable (IMO), and sort of a flirt (in the not-always-nice-sense-of-the-word), but Ben WAS angsty, and sometimes unnecessarily so.
However he LIVES and breathes football. He has never done anything else, and he is a great player, but not always a grown-up. Which added to his charm, and also explained some of his angst as well as his problems figuring out a 'fake' relationhip.
This is a clear case of mis-communication though, that could have been avoided if somebody had opended their mouth and asked.
Another reason my rating has dropped a wee bit, is that it is a WORDY book. Like a LOT of words and internal dialoguing. I loved Ben, but it became tiring at times, to have a formal tea party in his head with all of his angst.
For the most part though Ben had me smiling and laughing, and once again KUDOS for the fantastic friends and family surrounding Ben. Jake especially, was fucking EPIC!
All in all I liked this book a lot; the sexy times were few but well-written, the friends and family were supportive, the 'bad guys' sort of got what was coming to them (though Max needed to be traded or something, that homophobic prick), Ben grew as a person during this story and it is a definite re-read since it put a smile on my face.
This was a second re-read and it is still a FANTASTIC book, but my rating of 5 stars was a wee bit high compared to my other 5-star reads.
SO Ben is amazing and an idiot, but mostly amazing. Henry was... Not always likeable (IMO), and sort of a flirt (in the not-always-nice-sense-of-the-word), but Ben WAS angsty, and sometimes unnecessarily so.
However he LIVES and breathes football. He has never done anything else, and he is a great player, but not always a grown-up. Which added to his charm, and also explained some of his angst as well as his problems figuring out a 'fake' relationhip.
This is a clear case of mis-communication though, that could have been avoided if somebody had opended their mouth and asked.
Another reason my rating has dropped a wee bit, is that it is a WORDY book. Like a LOT of words and internal dialoguing. I loved Ben, but it became tiring at times, to have a formal tea party in his head with all of his angst.
For the most part though Ben had me smiling and laughing, and once again KUDOS for the fantastic friends and family surrounding Ben. Jake especially, was fucking EPIC!
All in all I liked this book a lot; the sexy times were few but well-written, the friends and family were supportive, the 'bad guys' sort of got what was coming to them (though Max needed to be traded or something, that homophobic prick), Ben grew as a person during this story and it is a definite re-read since it put a smile on my face.
November 25, 2021
BORING. DNF 8%
December 3, 2018
3 star rating from me...
I can't believe I'm going to say this but the story was too slow for me. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm always complaining about the too soon conclusion because I want a slow-build relationship, yeah, but no that slow.
I had some issues with the writing style, too. I found myself constantly scrawling up to re-read the beginning of the Chapter to see what I'm reading about, because I thought I'd skipped some of the sentences. I can't explain it, somehow it was difficult for me to read.
The story began interesting, fake-boyfriend trope is one of my favorites, but it was a little unbelieving at some point. I couldn't understand why the hell Henry agreed to do this in first place. He was too good, too understanding and that's what made him a little fake for me.
Ben I truly hated because he was an asshole and not in the charming bad ass way. In the first several chapters he said I'm sorry around 7423085034 times and I couldn't believe he was sorry at all.
The chemistry, if there was any, was so small that I couldn't feel it at all. I was confused if they really liked each other...
So, it wasn't my book, that's not a reason you won't like it. There was some good stuff in it.
I can't believe I'm going to say this but the story was too slow for me. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm always complaining about the too soon conclusion because I want a slow-build relationship, yeah, but no that slow.
I had some issues with the writing style, too. I found myself constantly scrawling up to re-read the beginning of the Chapter to see what I'm reading about, because I thought I'd skipped some of the sentences. I can't explain it, somehow it was difficult for me to read.
The story began interesting, fake-boyfriend trope is one of my favorites, but it was a little unbelieving at some point. I couldn't understand why the hell Henry agreed to do this in first place. He was too good, too understanding and that's what made him a little fake for me.
Ben I truly hated because he was an asshole and not in the charming bad ass way. In the first several chapters he said I'm sorry around 7423085034 times and I couldn't believe he was sorry at all.
The chemistry, if there was any, was so small that I couldn't feel it at all. I was confused if they really liked each other...
So, it wasn't my book, that's not a reason you won't like it. There was some good stuff in it.
May 15, 2014
An absolute Gem! Love books that leave you feeling giddy and with a big goofy smile on your face.
I kept stopping towards the end because I didn't want to finish. A definite re-read.
FULL REVIEW TO COME!
March 10, 2015
You know what! This lil novella was the BEST.
So happy and lovely and gah! My smiles! My freaking smiles!!!!
I love me some Ben and Onry! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
All the stars
Mare~Slitsread
So happy and lovely and gah! My smiles! My freaking smiles!!!!
I love me some Ben and Onry! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
All the stars
Mare~Slitsread
March 19, 2018
3.75 Stars
So many things to sell me on this book and they all won me over...everything from the fake romance to the first professional footballer (soccer for us Americans), to the great banter...loved it!
On the flip side, the story dragged in the middle and became somewhat repetitive. But one of my biggest pet peeves is misunderstandings that can easily be cleared up with a simple conversation causing havoc, I get all irritated and end up dropping my rating.
So many things to sell me on this book and they all won me over...everything from the fake romance to the first professional footballer (soccer for us Americans), to the great banter...loved it!
On the flip side, the story dragged in the middle and became somewhat repetitive. But one of my biggest pet peeves is misunderstandings that can easily be cleared up with a simple conversation causing havoc, I get all irritated and end up dropping my rating.
February 5, 2017
Pero qué tierno por favor, gracias a MaDo porque fue su review la que me animó a leerlo. Es uno de esos libros que cierras con una sonrisa en la cara y un poco enamorada del amor. Ambos personajes son una monada, tan jóvenes y tan llenos de entusiasmo, me ha gustado mucho, cliché y todo, es una preciosidad. ❤❤❤❤❤
February 6, 2017
♡.♡ Ben y Henry ♡.♡
May 28, 2014
For a debut novel, this was great. I was ABSOLUTELY loving this book - the angst, the humor..I wanted to hug Ben..he was such a great character!
All that up to 85% or so...
After - I was sorely disappointed. I was practically pleading at my Kindle - "don't go there, please, no, NO!"..but Ben let me down. So. Hard. I wanted to smack him! Eavesdropping, really? Jumping to conclusions, really??? And Henry was no better.
UGH! I'm so mad! The whole theme of misunderstanding/miscommunication is so outdated, I can't even!
My other quibble is the whole 3rd person, Present Tense POV. It was like reading an overly long blurb and it bugged the hell out of me. Thankfully, the story was so captivating, I (somehow) got used to the writing. But, no.
If not for all of that, this book would get 5 stars.
All that up to 85% or so...
After - I was sorely disappointed. I was practically pleading at my Kindle - "don't go there, please, no, NO!"..but Ben let me down. So. Hard. I wanted to smack him! Eavesdropping, really? Jumping to conclusions, really??? And Henry was no better.
UGH! I'm so mad! The whole theme of misunderstanding/miscommunication is so outdated, I can't even!
My other quibble is the whole 3rd person, Present Tense POV. It was like reading an overly long blurb and it bugged the hell out of me. Thankfully, the story was so captivating, I (somehow) got used to the writing. But, no.
If not for all of that, this book would get 5 stars.
May 21, 2017
4.5. Oh, this is so good.
This love story is a great sports romance with a wonderful pretend relationship theme played with a twist of two heroes.
The soccer scene are great as are the plot points about dealing with coming out when you are a famous athlete.
The leads are pretty young so this has a bit of New Adult feel to it but in a good way.
I like both heroes a great deal though the lack of communication is what knocks off half a star.
The romance is a nice slow burn where friends fall in love.
Great read!
This love story is a great sports romance with a wonderful pretend relationship theme played with a twist of two heroes.
The soccer scene are great as are the plot points about dealing with coming out when you are a famous athlete.
The leads are pretty young so this has a bit of New Adult feel to it but in a good way.
I like both heroes a great deal though the lack of communication is what knocks off half a star.
The romance is a nice slow burn where friends fall in love.
Great read!
October 31, 2020
Not perfect but I loved it and it totally raised my mood which these days means a lot. I could tell the author has roots in fan fiction which I’m totally fine with and may have enhanced my enjoyment.
Aftertaste: Like a warm fuzzy blanket.
Aftertaste: Like a warm fuzzy blanket.
November 23, 2021
4.5 stars! Nice surprise!
January 2, 2019
Increíble, pero se me ha borrado este libro y su reseña de mi cuenta... La valoración la hago desde el recuerdo que me dejó, que es muy positivo, pero probablemente, hoy por hoy, tendría una opinión totalmente distinta.
February 4, 2023
Can’t stand characters acting like they know it all. Yes, I am human and I don’t like it like you don’t.
dnf
September 11, 2014DNF at 60%
I never felt as if I was there. Ben constantly got lost in his own thoughts when having a conversation with someone. When the other one spoke again, I was so lost I had no idea what they were talking about.
I am not sure the author meant for Ben to be this ADD-ish.
Story itself was promising, but the execution got on my nerve. Ben’s mind was never quiet and not in an overly detailed kind of way, but more in a jumbled mess kind of way. Very frustrating and confusing.
I never felt as if I was there. Ben constantly got lost in his own thoughts when having a conversation with someone. When the other one spoke again, I was so lost I had no idea what they were talking about.
I am not sure the author meant for Ben to be this ADD-ish.
Story itself was promising, but the execution got on my nerve. Ben’s mind was never quiet and not in an overly detailed kind of way, but more in a jumbled mess kind of way. Very frustrating and confusing.
March 22, 2015
Yea... This is full of feeling. I just told Mare that the love between Ben and Henry, for their parts of this little novella, is like a viscous substance that covered me. It washed over me and made me feel so fucking good. Damn... there better be one more novella with these guys. It's needed. NEEDED I TELL YOU!
January 1, 2019
Super lento. Demasiadas páginas para contar algo que cabe en muchas menos, por los que cuenta y cuenta detalles y pensamientos una y otra vez por lo que la historia pasa rápidamente de interesante a tediosa. Una pena porque tanto la historia como los personajes son interesantes pero lo desarrolla fatal para mi gusto.
Want to read
March 3, 2014Okay, so I want to read this...but the blurb is awful.
January 19, 2024
4+
Książka jest długa. W dodatku przez to, że to slow-burn, który jest niezmiernie sloooow, wydaje się jeszcze dłuższa. Ale...
...dawno nie czytałam (jeżeli w ogóle) tak świetnie napisanej historii fake-boyfriend. Gdzie widać jak na dłoni, jak chłopaki się w sobie zakochują - pomimo, iż jest tylko jeden POV. Gdzie jest pełno niepewności, frustracji, głupich decyzji, powinienem/nie powinienem, powiedzieć/nie powiedzieć, to tylko ja czy on też to czuje, nieeee, to niemożliwe - to tylko udawanie, on zasługuje na coś i kogoś lepszego itd. - a jednak totalnie i zupełnie mnie to nie denerwowało ani przez moment (a normalnie dostaję dreszczy na takie rozwiązania), bo idealnie wpisywało się w historię przechodzenia od udawania do prawdziwego związku. Nawet "obowiązkowe rozstanie", choć było durnawe, impulsywne i z klasycznym założeniem czegoś złego, nie znając wszystkich faktów, pasowało do wszystkiego. I właśnie pewnie przez to, że książka była taka długa, wszystko wydawało się jak najbardziej realne.
W dodatku są poszczególne sceny, które są brylancikami - choćby ta, jak nawalony w trzy dupy Ben wraca do domu, w którym wyjątkowo jest jego mama i siostry. Świętował razem z drużyną zdobycie Pucharu Kraju. Jest tak cudnie i prawdziwie pijany, jego myśli tak idealnie rozwalone - można by rzec, że to pijacki strumień świadomości, logika zdecydowanie pijacka, duma z najprostszych rzeczy, które udaje mu się zrobić - jak choćby wstanie ze stołka i utrzymanie pionu dzięki stołowi - padłam ze śmiechu czytając tę scenę 😁 I takich scen jest więcej - choć niekoniecznie zabawnych.
Z tego, co czytałam, to debiut autorki - jeżeli rzeczywiście, to mogę powiedzieć, że naprawdę udany. Zabrakło mi epilogu i czasami wręcz umierałam z chęci usłyszenia głosu Henry'ego... no ale nie można mieć wszystkiego 😉
Książka jest długa. W dodatku przez to, że to slow-burn, który jest niezmiernie sloooow, wydaje się jeszcze dłuższa. Ale...
...dawno nie czytałam (jeżeli w ogóle) tak świetnie napisanej historii fake-boyfriend. Gdzie widać jak na dłoni, jak chłopaki się w sobie zakochują - pomimo, iż jest tylko jeden POV. Gdzie jest pełno niepewności, frustracji, głupich decyzji, powinienem/nie powinienem, powiedzieć/nie powiedzieć, to tylko ja czy on też to czuje, nieeee, to niemożliwe - to tylko udawanie, on zasługuje na coś i kogoś lepszego itd. - a jednak totalnie i zupełnie mnie to nie denerwowało ani przez moment (a normalnie dostaję dreszczy na takie rozwiązania), bo idealnie wpisywało się w historię przechodzenia od udawania do prawdziwego związku. Nawet "obowiązkowe rozstanie", choć było durnawe, impulsywne i z klasycznym założeniem czegoś złego, nie znając wszystkich faktów, pasowało do wszystkiego. I właśnie pewnie przez to, że książka była taka długa, wszystko wydawało się jak najbardziej realne.
W dodatku są poszczególne sceny, które są brylancikami - choćby ta, jak nawalony w trzy dupy Ben wraca do domu, w którym wyjątkowo jest jego mama i siostry. Świętował razem z drużyną zdobycie Pucharu Kraju. Jest tak cudnie i prawdziwie pijany, jego myśli tak idealnie rozwalone - można by rzec, że to pijacki strumień świadomości, logika zdecydowanie pijacka, duma z najprostszych rzeczy, które udaje mu się zrobić - jak choćby wstanie ze stołka i utrzymanie pionu dzięki stołowi - padłam ze śmiechu czytając tę scenę 😁 I takich scen jest więcej - choć niekoniecznie zabawnych.
Z tego, co czytałam, to debiut autorki - jeżeli rzeczywiście, to mogę powiedzieć, że naprawdę udany. Zabrakło mi epilogu i czasami wręcz umierałam z chęci usłyszenia głosu Henry'ego... no ale nie można mieć wszystkiego 😉
November 29, 2023
I enjoyed this. I did want to knock some heads together there near the end.
As one does.
Anyway.
The ten chapters of many, many, many scenes are all told from Ben the footie star's perspective, and it is nearly stream-of-consciousness, to the point where it took me 13 days to read because I needed so many breaks to, like, recover. The five Codas at the end were quick, in comparison. That's where we visit other points of view.
My other note: there's a weird amount of elbow touching in this novel. I don't think I've ever touched any given friend's elbow more than once in decades, so... yeah. Touching of elbows, grasping of elbows, all the way through. Someone should've caught that.
As one does.
Anyway.
The ten chapters of many, many, many scenes are all told from Ben the footie star's perspective, and it is nearly stream-of-consciousness, to the point where it took me 13 days to read because I needed so many breaks to, like, recover. The five Codas at the end were quick, in comparison. That's where we visit other points of view.
My other note: there's a weird amount of elbow touching in this novel. I don't think I've ever touched any given friend's elbow more than once in decades, so... yeah. Touching of elbows, grasping of elbows, all the way through. Someone should've caught that.
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